GIS Tech News #16

Facilities managers are excellent jugglers. They juggle cubicle space allotments, regular maintenance works, renovation works, fire drills, building permits, safety codes and much more. Consequently, their discipline has seen a convergence of technologies: CAD, IT and ERP (enterprise resource management), to name but a few. Even GIS (geospatial information systems) is part of the facilities manager's toolbox today.

When facilities managers gather at trade shows, the topic of conversation is often the smooth integration of these disparate technologies with their primary software systems. The upcoming International ARCHIBUS/FM Users’ Conference and the recent Location Intelligence Conference both offer opportunities to examine the role of GIS in FM (facilities management). Read More>>

Spatial Technologies: Terrain Modeling in a 3D World

by James L. Sipes

The ability to represent landforms in both 2D and 3D is beneficial for any professional who works with the land. 3D terrain modeling depicts landforms not only on the different continents but also ocean floors and the surfaces of other planets.

DTM & DEMDTMs (digital terrain models), also called DEMs (digital elevation models), are computer models of the surface of the Earth. DTM and DEM typically are used interchangeably. Technically, a DTM refers specifically to a terrain model, and DEM refers to the surface of water, vegetation or another feature.

DEMs include spatial elevation data used to depict 3D landforms. A DEM file consists of a gridded pattern of cells with each cell assigned a specific elevation. The finer the grid, the more detailed the resulting landform model. A grid system is the most common way to represent surfaces because it is the simplest way to store elevation points. As a result, a grid format can be used in many different applications. Read More >>

Get the Code for April!Cadalyst’s April code from Hot Tip Harry is now available for download. This month's $100 winner is AutoCAD Excel Interface from Q.J. Chen, a routine that transfers text information stored in a grid layout (table) into an Excel worksheet by just locating the corners of the table.

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